Wal-Mart Dismisses Protesters as Paid Agents

A picket line to protest Walmart’s retaliation against workers who speak out on May 30, 2013 in Pico Rivera, California. Sellers and several other striking Walmart employees and their supporters later boarded a bus to start a 1,500-mile journey ending at the company’s annual meeting at its headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. (Getty Images)

By Shelly Banjo

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart executives opened a week-long celebration leading up to the company’s annual shareholders meeting with a screed against a group of employees who are holding corresponding protests outside of its Bentonville, Ark., corporate headquarters.

“Let me be clear these associates are not part of Wal-Mart,” said Gisel Ruiz, Chief Operating Officer at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., to a stadium full of U.S. workers the company brought to Arkansas to attend its yearly employee pep rally Friday.

“They are part of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) and they are paid to be here and disrupt this week’s activities and that is just plain wrong,” Ms. Ruiz said of the protesters.

About 100 protesting workers walked off their jobs last week and traveled from all over the country, including California, Louisiana and Texas, and came to Arkansas to complain of low wages, short hours and poor working conditions, organizers said.

They are members of OUR Walmart, or Organization United for Respect at Walmart, which was started in 2010 with financial support and advice from the UFCW.

The union has been involved in previous efforts to represent Wal-Mart workers, but in January it disavowed any intent to unionize workers after Wal-Mart filed a charge of unfair labor practices against the union with the National Labor Relations Board. At the time, the union committed to publish notices on its website disavowing any intent to unionize and abstain from picketing for 60 days.

OUR Walmart, which said it is no longer a subsidiary of the UFCW and is an unincorporated nonprofit association, said the protests aren’t about forming a union. Instead, the group is protesting alleged unfair labor practices, such as manager retaliation against OUR Walmart members in the form of schedule changes and employment termination, workers said.

“I spend half my $8.25 paycheck just getting to work and eating lunch just to get to Wal-Mart and the managers can’t even treat us with respect? It’s not right,” said Dominic Ware, who manages shopping carts at a store in San Leandro, Calif.

Over the past year, Wal-Mart has been sending in executives from its corporate headquarters and showing videos against OUR Walmart that claim “that Wal-Mart pays you, OUR Walmart takes money from you,” he said.

Comments (5 of 15)

I work at our local Walmart and have for the last five years...I wont and will NEVER have a 40 hour work week...I get 30 HOURS a week IF I am lucky...There are few jobs in small towns so like me mand other walmart workers we have to work there and put up with it..Walmart has a policy now that there will be NO full time people hired UNLESS it is for mangament..So government food stamps and welfare programs will have to PAY for WALMART employees who do WORK FIVE DAYS A WEEK but don't get the 40 hours to be able to live on..Thanks to WALMART...we will FOREVER be on groverment hand outs .and still work a five day a week job

6:43 pm June 11, 2013

Barbara wrote:

By the way, for those of you who know so much. We paid for our strike by saving our membership dues and doing fundraising all across the US. I thank God for the members of my community that were smart enough not to be sucked into Walmart's diversionary tactics and actually took the time to listen to our side of the story. And surprise, our nonunion community members decided our complaints held merit and they decided to help us. If You can't figure out by the amount of Walmart associates on Public Assistance or the simple fact that the Waltons own more than 50% of the shares so that the rest of the shareholders have no say on anything that there might be something wrong with this companies ethics than you need help. Who cares who is bringing the issues to Walmarts attention. For all I care it could be Yoga Bear. Why don't you start questioning why Wlamart refuses to take a constructive approach to dealing with our concerns, instead of complaining about who is raising them.

6:21 pm June 11, 2013

Barbara wrote:

I work at in a Denver Walmart. I find it sad that a company that was founded on family values and respect for its employees now treats its associates with such little respect. I am one of those striking members. First of all, stop lying Walmart! You know exactly how many associates were on strike because all of us faxed home office a letter stating our name and that we were going on strike because of unfair labor practices. Two, we are not rogue associates, we are hard working associates that want our company to return to the values that made it what it is today. Lastly, if what we say doesn't represent your associates then prove it. Show us the results of your AOS surveys for the last 3 years, broken down by store. Since the survey shows no names you shouldn't have a problem doing this.
You talk about all the opportunities you provide but, I never hear you explain publically why you continually cut your full time associates hours.

6:43 pm June 10, 2013

walmart employee wrote:

Absolutely Walmart is doing everything and much more then what these people are claiming. Most of these folks ARE Walmart associates or former associates and are telling the truth. You say get another job not easy for folks in small towns and most of the terminated people for stupid petty reasons were older or long term associates that Walmart wants rid of so they can hire younger cheaper and part time associates. Therefore making their profit margins larger and larger each year and not having to cover them on insurance. Don't run your mouths when you have no clue what u are talking about SHAME ON WALMART!!!! The sad thing is now many other companies are following the example set by Walmart so this will continue and it may make its way to your employer so beware!!

10:31 am June 7, 2013

Jo DiCello wrote:

Walmart's reputation get s more tarnished each year. They should wake up and face the truth, the top 6 Walton's have more wealth than the bottom 93 MILLION Americans. WALMART is a digrace on the earth.